Trevor Bauer's second season pitching in Mexico with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico ended short of the team's goal of winning a third consecutive Liga Mexicana de Beisbol title, but the former National League Cy Young Award winner will play more baseball in 2026.
Baseball's most online pitcher has signed with the Estrellas Orientales of LIDOM, the Dominican Republic's professional winter league. The 2026-27 season would be Bauer's first pitching in winter baseball.
"I've decided to go play in the Dominican Republic. Dominican is so passionate about baseball, it's such a huge part of baseball culture, and I have never been there," Bauer said in a video posted to social media network X Monday afternoon. "I just can't imagine my baseball career without having gone down to the Dominican and seen it and played there. It looks so fun. I would love to play in the Caribbean Series, but first off, in order to get there, we have to win a championship."
The Estrellas Orientales, based in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, have won three championships in their 116-year history, the most recent coming in 2019, but have yet to win a Caribbean Series.
"I've known their front office for a couple years. We've had great conversations dating back to 2024. I'm very appreciative of everything that they have done for me so far, and I cannot wait to get down there and start playing and see all the Estrellas fans," Bauer said in the video "Also, all of the Dominican fans: I plan to be traveling on the road, going to as many games as I can, and meeting as many of you as I can. I know you might not like me, you might boo me on the road. That's okay. I'm still excited to see you guys and to play in front of you. So I can't wait, and I'll see you guys all in October."
The much maligned righty returned to the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in June after starting the season with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Bauer had a 2.36 ERA, 66 strikeouts and seven walks in 42 innings across seven starts for the Ducks. He tossed a seven-inning no-hitter on April 26 at Lancaster and set a franchise record, striking out 15 on May 12 outing vs. Gastonia. Bauer was named the Atlantic League’s April/May Pitcher of the Month.
With the Diablos, Bauer threw 32 2/3 innings across five starts and one relief appearance, posting a 4.41 ERA with 31 strikeouts and just six walks.
Bauer won the LMB’s Pitcher of the Year Award in 2024, going 10-0 with an ERA of 2.48 in 83 1/3 innings pitched and leading the league in strikeouts with 120. He also tied for the league lead in wins with 10, was second in ERA, second in WHIP at 1.04, and second in batting average against, with opposing batters hitting .216 against him.
The Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico selected Bauer with the first selection in the 2024 Liga Mexicana del Pacifico import draft, but Bauer ultimately decided not to play winter ball in the 2024-25 season.
While pitching in Major League Baseball, Bauer received a MLB record 324-game suspension in 2021 for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. The 324-game suspension was cut down by 130 games by Martin Scheinman, an independent arbitrator in the MLB Players Association. Bauer served 144 games of the suspension in 2022, and only had 50 games remaining going into the 2023 MLB season.
Bauer has never been arrested, charged, or convicted of a crime related to the allegations, and though one of his accusers has been charged with defrauding the former Major Leaguer, Bauer has not returned to MLB.
In addition to pitching for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in 2024, Bauer has also pitched for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan in 2023 and 2025.